Commodities

Programs

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2014 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) will accept claims through June 2, 2014, under the Pima Agriculture Cotton Trust Fund for calendar year 2014.

The purpose of the trust fund, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, is to reduce the economic injury to domestic manufacturers resulting from tariffs on cotton fabric that are higher than tariffs on certain apparel articles made of cotton fabric.

The Farm Bill allocates $16 million in Commodity Credit Corporation funds for each year from 2014 through 2018. Funds are to be distributed as follows: 25 percent to one or more nationally recognized associations established for the promotion of pima cotton for use in textile and apparel goods, 25 percent to yarn spinners of pima cotton that produce ring spun cotton yarns in the United States, and 50 percent to manufacturers that cut and sew cotton shirts in the United States and that certify that they used imported cotton fabric in 2013.

Applicants receiving funds under the trust must file affidavits, supporting documentation and claims for distribution electronically with the FAS Office of Trade Programs at iperd@fas.usda.gov.

Additional information, including the procedures for claiming a distribution, can be found in the May 2 Federal Register.